OMG, Robots Communicating on Their Own Web

EU-funded scientists are demonstrating a Robot World Wide Web so that robots can share information.

EU-funded scientists are demonstrating an RWWW -- that's Robot World Wide Web -- so that robots that are connected can share information. Does that conjure up potential issues?

This brain-sharing idea proposes that a common robot brain will actively transmit algorithms to perform simple tasks. For the time being, humans can also contribute. There are obvious questions -- and the fact that RoboEarth has built in a single point of failure for participating robots means that they've asked the same questions about security that are going through my head.

Five universities in Europe are taking part in the development, along with Philips research scientists. An initial demonstration is taking place at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands, mostly involving patient care. The system is cloud-based so that tasks can be easily offloaded, avoiding power and storage shortages.

On one hand, yeah, I can see this is useful, as how many times have simple programs been created that could have just as easily been shared, speeding development? At the same time... maybe I read too much SciFi.

AI has come a long way, you know. Already it's the stuff that drones and other, more sinister robots are made of. Google and Facebook are investing in robots and AI. One only need visit Singularity University's website to see how far things have progressed.

So, weigh in. Is this a good thing? What do you think is needed to ensure security -- from the outside and inside?